The salaries of the top NBA coaches are on the verge of a financial revolution

Bringing back the FIBA World Cup’s gold medal isn’t just about glory, as there is also a lot of money on the table. Even though players will be paid handsomely if they suceed in the international competition, the staff’s high-profile coaches have a different panorama in front of them. 

The thing is, it’s harder for a coach to secure a long-term deal with an NBA franchise than a player, who commonly are contractually protected. This is why winning the World Cup’s potential bonuses and incentives aren’t as appealing to them as they are for trainers.

There’s no doubt that this current USA Basketball coaching staff is probably the most impressive in program history. Just between Erik Spoelstra, Ty Lue and Steve Kerr there are seven NBA titles and 13 Finals appearances.

It seems that this Team USA staff might be the group that pushes trainer’s salaries to the verge of a financial revolution. I’ll explain each case to understand this concept to the fullest.

At one point, LeBron wanted Erik Spoelstra fired. Now, Spo is in a position to become the highest-paid coach in NBA history.

His annual salary would be higher than several significant NBA players:

🔸Derrick White
🔸Lauri Markkanen
🔸Zion Williamson
🔸Kyle Kuzma
🔸Aaron Gordon… pic.twitter.com/VjjJofzTGZ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 7, 2023

Let’s use Kerr and Spoelstra as the first examples, as they’re going into their final campaign leading the Golden State and Miami roster, respectively. Lue, on the other hand, had the Clippers pick up an option in his contract that see him coach two more years in Los Angeles.

For all three NBA teams, keeping them on the squad is crucial, and this will come at a historic cost. Just this past month of June, the Spurs announced an $80 million, five-year extension for Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich, which is the highest in the league.

Just the fact that younger coaches could potentially recieve an offer of this sort is revolutionary in the NBA is a great gif to their efforts, said the Clippers trainer.

“It’s a gift and that’s what has always been to all of us anyway,” Lue said using the San Antonio coach as an example. “Pop’s always been the one that showed everyone the way and he is always speaking up on everything. It’s just good that he publicized it and he did it for the coaches.”

As for Monty Williams, who used to be a part of this Team USA staff, recently agreed to another powerful $78.5 million deal in Detroit for the next six years.

“That’s something that people don’t talk about; they say it wasn’t the money. I always laugh at that. I think that’s disrespectful,” the Pistons coach said two months ago. “When someone is that generous to pay me that kind of money, one that should be applauded, and two it should be talked about.”

Both Popovich and Williams’ contracts set example of what potential new coaching opportunities can offer

Coaches around the basketball world applauded the fact that their peers are starting to sign highly-valued contracts, just as both Popovich and Williams recently did.

“I was thrilled for [Popovich],” Kerr expressed about his new deal in San Antonio. “The great thing with Pop is that he loves it so much. He’s got so much energy.”

The Warriors trainer agrees that the rising tide of bigger contracts for coaches around the league is finally arriving. “Yeah, potentially [good for coaches’ salaries],” he said. “We’ll see.”

But for now, these coaches will have to wait until they negotiate directly with their team’s front offices and concentrate in winning the World Cup trophy if they are to recieve a big prize worthy of their expertise.

“It’s good for all the coaches,” Lue said. “Including Steve and Spo.”